
Qass. 
Book. 



■^f 




AN 



ADDEE8S 



DEATH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN, 



DELIVERED IN THE 



^luivcrsiitU^t (J^liuith, §avtli gittlebovo', IHasisi., 



APRIL 19, 1^6 



By eT. D. PEIKCE, 

PASTOR Of THE UNIVERSALIS! CHURCH AND SOCIETY. 



BOSTON: 

PRINTED BY DAVIS & FARMER, 

18 EXCHANGE STREET, 

1865. 



^^ ^rj^K 




f^ 






J] 



AN 



ADDEESS 



DEATH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN, 



DELIVERED IN THE 



Ittiv^r^ati^t mxnxtK iovttt g^ttkljovo', Wm., 



APRIL 19, 1865. 




Br J. D. PEIRCE, Jaj^a^^iL, 

M 

PASTOR OF THE UNIVERSALISX CBTORCH AND SOCIETY. 



BOSTON: 

PRINTED BY DAVIS & FARMER, 

18 EXCHANGE STREET, 
1865. 



To Rev. J. D. Peirce, 
Dear Sir, 

At a meeting of the citizens of North Attleboro', holden at the TJniver- 
salist Church, Wednesday, April 19th, 1865, the undersigned were appointed a 
Committee, to express to you the thanks of the. meeting for the very excellent 
address delivered before them this day, and to request a copy of the same for 
publication. 

Hoping for an early compliance with the unanimous wishes of your fellow 
citizens, we remain, 

Very respectfully yours, 

SAM'L. S. GINIDO, ) Committee 
JOHN T. BATES, \ <^'»«"«"^- 



To Messrs. Ginido and Bates, 
Gentlemen, 

Your kind note was duly received. Although I am sensible that the 
address to which you refer, was indebted to the state of public feeling and the 
inspiration of the large audience, rather than to any intrinsic merit it may claim, 
for the flattering favor with which it was received, still, owing to the unanimity 
and earnestness of the request for its publication, I do not feel at liberty to 
decline it, and hence inclose a copy which is subject to your disposal. 

I may be permitted to add, that the request is the more gratifying to my feel- 
ings, if not the more readily granted, since it did not originate with members of 
my ever indulgent flock. 

Respectfully, &c., 

J. D. PEIRCE. 

N. Attleboro', April 28, 1865. 



ADDRESS 



We have come to this house of prayer, the mercy seat of 
our God and Father, in accordance with the request of those 
who rule over us, and the promptings of our own feelings, to 
sympathize together in our national bereavement, to lift our 
hearts in humble and fervent supplication to the Infinite One 
that his grace may be suflficient for us in this hour of trial, 
and to give our thoughts to the impressive lessons suggested 
by the occasion. 

And while our spirits commune together and with the 
Father of our spirits, it is meet we remember, that every- 
where through the length and breadth of our land, in every 
city, village and hamlet, the tolling bell from every church- 
spire, has called the people, irrespective of age, condition and 
character, to the sanctuary, to receive the strength and com- 
fort and hope which our divine religion imparts to waiting 
souls, even in the extremity of affliction. It is indeed an in- 
spiring thought that the universal American heart is pervaded 
by one feeling at this solemn hour, that one common bond of 
holy sympathy encircles us all, and that all our temples are 
thronged by the sons and daughters of sorrow who are listen- 
ing in reverent mood, for the voice of God to speak to them, 
through the gospel of His Son, the words of consolation and 
cheer which will soothe their anguished spirits, and encourage 
them to bear all and suffer all without murmuring. Let every 
sound then, be hushed to silence, and every heart be still, and 
open to divine influences, while we essay to read the lessons 
taught by this overwhelming calamity, when judged by the 
human standard, which has filled all bosoms with grief, and 
hung the drapery of mourning Avherever the eye rests. 

We are not to give even an outline of the history of our 
late executive magistrate, nor are we to attempt a critical 
analysis of his character, for we are not yet calm enough 
while still standing in the awful shadow of his death, not yet 



6 

sufficiently self-possessed and collected for this task, nor docs 
such a review belong to this funeral hour and this place of 
prayer. It is the province of the christian pulpit, in circum- 
stances like those which have called us together, in the ex- 
pressive language of inspiration, "to comfort all that mourn." 
Hence it will be our principal aim in what we may have to 
say, to present such considerations as are calculated to recon- 
cile us to this bereavement, and incite us to press forward in 
the path of duty with undismayed and trusting hearts, in the 
assurance that Providence will overrule even this fearful 
tragedy for good. 

It is well, then, for him, our nation's head, that he has pas- 
sed from the lower to the higher sphere ; for consider, first, 
the heavy burdens, the wearying cares, the tremendous re- 
sponsibilities that were imposed on him. What a life of trial, 
perplexity and anxiety he has experienced for the last four 
years ! The magnitude of the work given him to do cannot 
be over-estimated. When our thoughts have dwelt upon it, 
we have been amazed that he has not broken down under 
it. Nothing but miraculous aid could have saved him, except 
that element in his character which many have regarded his 
only weakness, but which we recognize as an indication of 
greatness, — that ability which he possessed in an eminent de- 
gree, when the moments of leisure came, of sending away all 
care from his mind and all anxiety from his heart, and of giv- 
ing himself up wholly to the passing relaxation or amuse- 
ment, whatever it might be. Then he retired, and recupera- 
ted his energies, and when the minutes were past, for it could 
be scarcely said that he ever had hours of leisure, he was 
ready to enter with fresh strength and a new zest on the 
arduous duties before him. Through long experience, he had 
become familiar with the work given him to do, and hence no 
other could do it so well and with so much ease ; but another 
leaf in our nation's history has been turned, new and untried 
responsibilities are to rest on our chief ruler, which will 
involve another class of wearing and exhausting labors. By 
his death, our late magistrate has been saved from this new 
and heavy burden. It was well for him, that his harassing 
cares are over, well that he has exchanged the conflict of 



earth for the repose of heaven ! Arc not we, his weeping 
children, satisfied with the mighty work which he has done? 
Since he has toiled and contended for the right so long, and 
sacrificed and suftered for our common country so much, are 
we not willing that he should be relieved from the earthly 
service, and go "where the wicked cease from troubling, and 
the weary are at rest ? " O, if he could speak to us to-day 
from his home in the skies, might he not say, "I have done 
my part in this mighty struggle for liberty and humanity ; do 
yours as faithfully, and the battle will be fought and the vic- 
tory won." 

Our lamented President has passed on in the zenith of his 
fame. Perhaps it would not be extravagant to say, that the 
man has never lived in our land who stood higher in the pop- 
ular estimation than he did on the day of his death. Though 
not possessed of genius in the highest sense of the word, 
though surpassed by many in point of intellectual culture, he 
had that sterling good sense which is rarer and better than 
genius, and that almost intuitive practical wisdom which won 
the confidence of his people generally. With the exception 
of a few intense political partisans, we had all come to feel 
that he was the man for the station he filled. We had un- 
bounded trust in his ability to steer the ship of state, through 
the shoals and between the rocks, into a haven of safety and 
peace. And then his pure life, his unimpeachable integrity, 
his unbending firmness, his child-like simplicity, and the fresh- 
ness and warmth of his affections enlisted the public sympa- 
thy and attracted all our hearts. It was these qualities of 
character which made him of the people as well as for them. 
We felt that he possessed, not only a gifted intellect and ex- 
ecutive tact of a high order, but a great heart which loved 
us all, like as a father loveth his children. So we gave 
him, not only our esteem and trust, but our affection. Our 
love for him has been evidenced in the grief manifested on 
every countenance when the intelligence of his sudden death 
reached us, and in the insignia of mourning everywhere to 
be seen. Yes, he was taken from us when he was at the 
meridian height of earthly glory, the most honored among 
men. 



8 

Xow there Is nothing more imsubstanthd and evanescent 
than human applause. Fame Is hut a bubble which a breath 
of air may destroy. It Is not Impossible, not Improbable, 
we think, that, had his life been prolonged, his reputation 
would have suffered to some extent, by his subsequent 
course, whatever his policy might have been. There Is not 
a more general and marked characteristic of popular feeling 
than fickleness. You remember that the multitude who 
greeted Hlm^ the sinless and perfect one, on his entrance 
Into Jerusalem with exultant demonstrations of joy, saying, 
" Hosanna to the son of David, blessed Is he who cometh 
In the name of the Lord, Hosanna In the highest," a few 
hours after, cried with one heart and voice, "Away with 
him, crucify him, crucify him." And M'ho cannot call to 
mind, some names In our own times, in the fearful struggle 
which we trust is nearly over, which, a few months since, 
Avere never uttered save in eulogy, but which are now almost 
forgotten. Then they were Idolized, but their sun has set, 

"And none so poor to do them reverence." 

Though we claim but ordinary foresight, we think we 
can sefe that the probable course of President Lincoln in the 
sequel of the rebellion, would not have commended Itself to 
the judgments or feelings of a large proportion, perhaps the 
majority, of his constituents. He was remarkable for his 
kindly and tender feelings, and alike remarkable for his inflex- 
ible and persistent will. PIIs benevolence would have 
prompted him to be lenient In his treatment of the traitors, 
and having inaugurated such a policy, his firmness would 
have consti-alned him to carry It out, whatever the remon- 
strances that might have been made. But we are all aware 
that such a policy, whether wise or unwise, we need not stop 
to Inquire, Avould not have met with universal approval. 

Is it not well for him that he has been taken away while 
his garland was fresh and green ? Is it not well that he has 
wrapped his robe of glory around him, and lain down to his 
long, last slumber? Now, his reputation is secure. He is 
enshrined in all our hearts as one of the greatest, truest, best 
of men. A most honorable earthly Immortality Is before 
him. Through many generations to come, yea, to the 



9 

latest posterity, our children's children Avill speak of Wat^h- 
ington and Lincoln, — the one as the flither, the other, as the 
saviour of his country. Ay, 

" Their names shall stand on hist'ry's page, 
And brighter glow from age to age, 
Till time itself shall end." 

Do we now hear some voice broken by weeping, say : " If 
he had died by visitation of Providence, I could have been 
submissive, but to be stricken down by the hand of an assas- 
sin, it is this which unmans me," we would reply, that we 
think we can see a propriety, a fitness, not only in the time, 
but in the manner of his death, awful as, in a sense, it was. 
We believe that God raised him up for the political regenera- 
tion of this people. He was intrusted with a sublime and 
beneficent mission, to be the standard-bearer in the mighty 
contest between right and wrong, civilization and barbarism, 
liberty and slavery. He was to be our Moses to lead on our 
hosts towards the promised possession. It Avas to be a fearful 
conflict, for the foe had become powerful and defiant, and in- 
trenched himself in his wickedness. The sin was so auda- 
cious and heaven-daring, that it was not to be expiated save 
by the shedding of blood. The conquest was to require toil, 
hardship, privation and sacrifice, of wdilch we could really 
have no conception except by experience. It was to cost 
treasure and life above calculation ; for gi'eat and glorious 
results are to be reached only through mighty and long con- 
tinued efforts, and unstinted and cheerful sacrifices. 

Our leader called for our treasure to procure the munitions 
of war, and his confiding people supplied him with all he re- 
quired. He called for our young men to buckle on the 
soldier's armor, and go forth to the warfare. The summons 
came to every home throughout the length and breadth of 
our loyal country, and it met with a noble and ready 
response. The gray haired sire gave up his only boy, the 
prop on which he hoped to lean when the infirmities of age 
should press heavily on him. The young wife, with a hero- 
ism to which woman's heart alone is equal, bade the father of 
her helpless babe go and fight the battles of his country that 
their child might have a country ; and the widow in her loneli- 



10 

ness and destitution, freely consented that her sons should 
peril their lives in this arduous service. It was hard for those 
vrho went, and hard for those who remained behind ; for it 
was a painful separation of kindred and friends, — the former 
were called to an untried experience of want, hardship and 
exposure, and the latter were subject to constant anxiety, 
and often to wearing suspense. Hundreds of thousands, at 
the behest of our honored chief magistrate, went as cham- 
pions in the cause of liberty, and as defenders of the govern- 
ment which our fathers established ; and though it is almost 
heart-rending to think of the numbers that have fallen, 
through the blessing of God, they have virtually completed 
the task assigned them. And when that was done, the mis- 
sion of their leader was fulfilled. The work was finished 
which was given him, as well as them to do. Was there not 
a singular propriety in his sharing the fate which so many of 
them have received? He loved them, those soldier boys, with 
a father's affection, he wept as he looked over the battle-field, 
and saw their forms cold in death. They loved him with 
the freshness and ardor of youthful afi^cction, they appreciated 
his perplexities and responsibilities, and reverenced his wisdom 
and patriotism. They sacrificed themselves, at his call, for 
their common country ; it was fit that he too, should fall in the 
same glorious service, wi.th Ellsworth, and Winthrop, and 
Lyon, and Lander, and Sedgwick, and others as worthy, 
together with the thousands of the rank and file, to whom life 
was as sweet as to him. They all enlisted in the same patri- 
otic enterprise, they counted the cost, they knew the perils to 
which they were exposed. They became early aware that 
their work could be accomplished only at the expense of 
thousands of lives. That work is done, and well done, and 
they sleep together, he, the commander-in-chief, and they, 
his devoted followers. " They were lovely and pleasant in 
their lives, and in their death, they Avere not divided." Had 
our honored executive been told when he assumed his high 
trust, that to accomplish it, he must seal it with his blood 
drawn by the hand of an assassin, we believe he would not 
have hesitated a single moment. He is to be remembered, 



11 

not only as a patriot, statesman and sage, but as a martyr 
who (lied in behalf of the country he so much honored, and 
which will ever delight to honor him. 

But why was it necessary that he should thus die? 
Perhaps, to show us how great the ransom price that must be 
paid to redeem us from the spirit of wickedness that had in- 
thralled us ; perhaps, to temper our joy in this hour of our 
triumph; perhaps, tostrenghten our flagging purpose to carry- 
on the work in which we are enlisted, till treason shall be 
utterly extirpated from the land ; perhaps, to remind ua that 
we were relying too much on an arm of flesh, and too little 
on that Almighty arm which alone can save us ; and perhaps, 
because He who knows all things, saw that another agent 
would be more eflScient in the work of reconstruction. All 
these reasons and others may have combined in giving direc- 
tion to the fearful result, for though the tragedy was the 
work of a human instrument, it was, in a sense, providential. 
The murderer meant it for evil, but God may have meant it 
for good, as in the case of Joseph's brethren when they sold 
him for a slave. They were actuated by a wicked purpose, 
but God designed that their act should result in great and 
lasting good. We are to trust in Him, knowing that he 
causes "" the wrath of man to praise hira," even though we 
may not be able to- see how this afflictive event can be over- 
ruled for good. He has given us ample evidence, that, as a 
people, he regards us with favor. His right hand and His 
holy arm have given us the victory over those who have 
sought to overthrow our government, and uproot our institu- 
tions. Shall we distrust him now, even though we cannot 
read his purpose in this afflictive. dispensation? 

But, short-sighted as we are, we can see some beneficial 
consequences that are to accrue from the dastardly act which 
deprived our late President of his mortal existence. It will 
be, not a help but an injury to the cause of those who without 
reason are our enemies. Their terms of submission to the 
government which they have outraged, will not be made 
easier but harder by it. It will alienate many who were 
friendly disposed towards them, and who would have inter- 
ceded with more or less of earnestness in their behalf. It 



12 

will unite the hearts of all who arc inclined to be loyal to our 
government, quicken the interest of the indifferent, and con- 
vert thousands whose sympathies have been somewhat on the 
side of the rebellion. The people, as one man, will sustain 
the government in its eiforts to put down this wicked rebel- 
lion, and to divest of all power and influence, its aiders and 
abettors. Its general effect on the loyal sections of our land 
will be similar to that produced by the bombardment of 
Sumter, which kindled a blaze of patriotism in all our hearts. 
" Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou 
disquieted within me, hope thou in God for I shall yet praise 
him for the help of his countenance. Wait upon the Lord, 
be of good courage, and he will strengthen thy heart, wait, I 
say, upon the Lord." 

While we mourn in view of our national bereavement, 
while we cherish emotions of sympathy for that afflicted 
family circle, recently so blessed, and now so desolate, while 
we sorrow with the subordinate officers of government so 
suddenly deprived of their head, to whom they looked for 
counsel and encouragement in their manifold and perplexing 
duties, we would be grateful to God, for the life and work of 
our departed hero ; grateful, that he was spared to us so long, 
till he had accomplished his stupendous undertaking, and 
o-rateful that his confidential adviser who was also struck by 
the murderous hand of an assassin in his chamber of sickness, 
still lives, with the promise of his speedy recovery. " Bless 
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." 

Let us remember that while men die, principles are immor- 
tal. The ])rinciples which were imbodied in the official life 
of our late magistrate, are still intact, and they are to find 
expression and application through him who has already 
assumed his sacred trust. He is a man of remarkable deci- 
sion and indomitable energy, a devoted patriot and an experi- 
enced statesman, and though there is one stain on his other- 
wise fair escutcheon, we doubt not that it will be his earnest 
endeavor to fill the oflSce to which he has been unexpectedly 
called, in a manner which shall be acceptable to the American 
people. But he enters upon his solemnly responsible Avork 
under most discouraging circumstances. He has had no time 



13 

for preparation for his duties. He lias taken the phicc of one 
who, he is conscious, .was almost idolized by his people, and 
it is a difficult task to follow one, in any field of labor, who 
had a strong hold on the affections of those who are to be 
served. Besides, he is doubtless aware that by that . act of 
indiscretion, to use no harsher word, he has forfeited, to some 
extent, the confidence of his constituents. If the citizens of 
the United States would have him succeed in his untried 
and onerous position, we must, with one consent, extend to 
him our sympathy, and give him our united and cordial sup- 
port. In the Providence of God, he has become our stand- 
ard-bearer, and it is for us to strengthen his hands and 
encourage his heart, and invoke, for him, God's blessing and 
guidance. 

It is for our people, to-day, standing, as it were, by the 
open grave of him who was so recently our nation's head, and 
almost the idol of our hearts, to pledge ourselves anew, to the 
cause of liberty, righteousness and the universal good. We 
owe it to him, the glorified one whose toils and sacrifices and 
death in this holy service we are commemorating ; we owe it 
to our sons and brothers whose bones are bleaching on many 
a battle-field ; we owe it to the bereaved families in every 
neighborhood of our land, — the widows and orphans, and 
childless fathers and mothers whose cherishjed ones have 
fallen in this cause ; we owe it to our sainted ancestors 
who, at so great a cost, established the independence of 
these States and formed this Union; we owe it to our 
children, who are to fill our places when we shall have passed 
away, and we owe it to God for the favor he has ever 
shown to our land ; we owe it to them all, to resolve to-day 
at the altar of our God, that, with unfaltering purpose, we 
will finish the work so well begun and so successfully car- 
ried on, whatever the sacrifices it may require. 

The spirit which led to the assassination of President 
Lincoln is the same spirit which manifested itself in nullifi- 
cation in the days of President Jackson; it is the same 
spirit that drove out the venerable Judge Hoar the elder 
from South Carolina whither he had gone, clothed by 
oflScial authority from his native State, on an errand of 



14 

mercy ; it is the same spirit which actuated the mob that 
fired the printing office of Lovejoy and murdered him, 
because he had dared to say what our declaration of inde- 
pendence says, that " all men are created equal ;" it is the 
same spirit that sought to shut the mouth of John Quincy 
Adams, "the old man eloquent," on the floor of Congress 
when he pleaded for the right of petition ; it is the same spirit 
that smote down Charles Sumner in the Capitol for his 
advocacy of human rights ; it is the same spirit that mas- 
sacred, in the streets of Baltimore, the soldiers of the Sixth 
Massachusetts Regiment, w^hile on their way to the seat of 
government in obedience to the executive call; it is the 
same spirit that has hunted down every, Union-loving man 
of the South, whose countenance was seen to brighten at 
the sight of the dear old flag of our country ; it is the same 
spirit that has treated with every manner of abuse and 
cruelty our captured soldiers. It is the spirit of barbarism, 
slavery, despotism. That spirit must be put down, conquered 
and annihilated. 

Let us, then, hand in hand, and heart to heart, in the 
strength of God, move forward to the work, and soon shall 
our regenerated and prosperous and peaceful country realize 
the truth of the great Statesman's declaration, ^'■Liberty and 
Union^ now and forever^ one and inseparable J^ 



RESOLUTIONS. 



At a meeting of the citizens of North Attleboro', held April 19, 
1865, immediately following the delivery of the preceding address, 
S. S. Ginido was called to the chair, and J. T. Bates appointed 
Secretary. The following Resolutions offered by Mr. P. Brooks 
Merritt, and supported by him in a few brief remarks, were 
unanimously adopted, and on motion of Dr. J. R. Bronson it was 
Voted, That a copy of the address of Rev. Mr. Peirce be solicited 
for the press, and it was subsequently voted that the Resolutions 
adopted by the meeting be also printed with the address. The 
Resolutions were as follows : — 

Whereas, in the inscrutable purposes of Divine Providence, our 
honored and beloved President has been struck down by the blow of 
the assassin ; and we, with saddened hearts, are assembled to-day, in 
common with our fellow citizens, throughout the length and breadth 
of our land, to assist in the mournful obsequies of the honored 
dead; and 

Whereas, we deem some public and more direct expression of the 
deep feeling of sorrow with which we are moved, to be not inappro- 
priate to the melancholy occasion ; therefore 

Resolved, That we bless God for the great gift of Abraham 
Lincoln to this nation ; whose clear-sighted statesmanship commands 
our respect ; whose unsullied integrity challenges our admiration ; 
whose noble-hearted, and self-sacrificing devotion to his country's 
good demands our deepest gratitude, and whose sympathetic kindness 
of heart awa,kens a love, over which death has no power. 

Resolved, That we have no words to express our horror and 
detestation of the cowardly assassins, their aiders, and abettors, by 
whose nefarious deed our land sits to-day in sackcloth and ashes. 

Resolved, That the afflicted family, upon whom this crushing 
blow has so heavily fallen, have our heartfelt sympathy ; and we 
pray God to send them comfort and consolation in this trying hour. 



16 

Resolved, That we will cordially support President Johnson in 
his efforts to carry on the work, so well begun, and continued by his 
lamented predecessor, and that we have full confidence in his integ- 
rity of purpose, his self-denying patriotism, and his antipathy to 
rebels and traitors of every grade. 

Resolved, That the daring attempts on the life of Secretary 
Seward and his family excite our deep interest, and we rejoice in 
learning that there is a prospect of the recovery of one whose ser- 
vices we can so ill afford to lose. 

Resolved, That in view of this atrocious deed of assassination, 
foi-ming as it does so appropriate a sequel to the chapter of hor- 
rors opened by the leaders of this accursed rebellion, we recognize 
the* arrival of the time when no parley should be held with 
treason, rebellion or slavery ; but that they should be left alike to the 
curse of man, and the righteous judgment of God. 

Resolved, That as a further testimony of respect to the 
memory of our departed Chief Magistrate, we will wear the usual 
badge of mourning for thirty days. • 



